The Battle of Red: Book One- The Flametail.
Book One: The black fox sat immobile in his tent, his legs crossed and his paws at his side, breathing deeply. The fox was a magnificent creature, tall and sinewy with jet black fur. But, it was his tail that earned him the name Flametail the Sword. The fox was the Lord of over tenscore rats, weasels, ferrets, stoats, water rats, martens, sables, and foxes. Flametail was a highly respected fox. His meditation was interrupted by a scrawny weasel running inside the tent. The weasel was named Fleck, and he was a scout and a seer of Flametail's. The fox's eyes snapped open and he soon had his dangerous paws clamped around Fleck's neck. The weasel's Adam's Apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed nervously. He stared into the Bloodwrath tinged eyes of the fox. "Who said ye could interrupt me during my planning, weasel? Answer me or I'll will make ye talk!" Flametail made this clear as he put pressure on the weasel's neck, grinning in sick twisted humor as Fleck wriggled gasping for breath. He then relaxed his grip. "The scouts have returned from the place you told them to watch, sire! They say that they saw a large red house with big walls and many towers. But, when they got closer to this house, it made a loud 'bong' noise! They think the red house was angry at them for coming to close sire!" Flametail shook the weasel like he was a dirty rag. "More! I need more information Fleck! What else did ye see?" "We saw a few beasts out, my lord!", Fleck wheezed. "Mice, sea dogs, river dogs, spikehogs, diggers and treemice! These beasts are led by a white mouse named Abbot and another mouse named Abbess. The others are called Brothers and Sisters, although they are not related to another. One of them is a tan colored rat they call Brother Faro! They say he is the Champion and he wields a majestic sword! Some call him Warrior Faro." Flametail looked off into space. Red house. That could only mean one thing; that his dimwitted clumsy scout had found the ancient Redwall Abbey! The rat called Champion was the Warrior of Redwall! Flametail the Axe was not stupid. He had heard of Redwall and its history. His mother told him of the foxes that tried to conquer it like Sela the Healer Fox, Slagar the Cruel, Plugg Firetail, and many more. Flametail dreamed of having the creatures of the Abbey be his slaves as he sat on the Abbot's chair, sipping wine from the finest goblets and eating only the finest vittles. Flametail roared with laughter and looked the weasel in the eye. "Yew know wot yore mate has been tellin' me? Tornpaw?" Fleck gulped and shook his head. Flametail grinned. "Ambitious weasel, ain't yer? Wantin' to take over me horde! Tornpaw knew. And now I do." Before Fleck could react, Flametail had grabbed his broadsword and with once downward thrust, cut the head off the weasel. "And now,", Flametail said to the corpse. "yer dead." Abbot Derio sat on the eastern wall, gazing out across the tree tops of Mossflower woods. Derio was an odd mouse indeed, covered from ear tips to toes with white fur. He had rosy pink eyes and a pink nose. Derio was what beasts called an Albino mouse, and he was the only mouse like that in Mossflower. The inside of the abbey was noisy, with running and yelling Dibbuns and the chitter chatter of older Abbey beasts. Derio loved the quietness of the still leaves, the ripple of water on the pond where a large fish dwelled, the noises of sea birds squawking near the shore. Although Derio was a young mouse, he was wise and loved the quiet, instead of noise. "Ahoy mate. Wot are yew doin' out here all alone?" A large sinewy otter came up the steps and sat down next to the Abbot. "Though ye would be inside, with yer wife th' Abbess!" Derio smiled at his friend. "Ah Skipper Milra, you would think that would you? One though requires quiet to think. Look out over the trees, my friend. What do ye see?" The female otter Skipper glanced out over the still trees, where the sea could be seen, touching the horizon. Over the sea was the moon, a large white orb glowing many lightyears from Mossflower. "I see the moon sitting over the sea, the waves rippling. Can't ye see it Abbot Derio?" "Aye, I can Milrabrook. But, do ye hear anything?" "No Father, I can't. Derio turned to his friend. "Yes my friend. It is the sound of peace. No more vermin in Mossflower. The evil is gone and now all that's left is the beauty of Mossflower. Our abbey is the symbol of freedom to all beasts of Mossflower. We will no longer be threatened by evil now. The Abbey Warrior, Brother Faro, watches over us with the sword." Milra nodded. "Aye, the first rat to be an Abbey Warrior! And the son of an evil rat chief of all things. and he is the most gentle rat ever! Too handsome to be a rat! Could almost pass fer a mouse!" "Milra, although Faro is a rat, Martin the Warrior chose him to be Abbey Warrior because there was something in him that bespoke him a warrior." Derio got up and walked down the steps towards the abbey door. "Come Milra. Lets go down for supper.